Excavator.



PATENTED FEB. 19, 1907.

SPRINGER. EXGAVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1904.

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No. 844,479 v v PATENTED FEB. 19, 1907.

L. v. SPRINGER.

EXOAVATOR..

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

7 PATENTED FEBI 19,1907.

L. V. SPRINGER.

BXGAVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.2 2- 1904.

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PATENT FFICE.

LEE V. SPRINGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

EXCAVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1907.

Application filed September 22, 1904. Serial No. 225,403.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEE V. SPRINGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Excavators, of which the fol lowing is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates more particularly to steam, portable, or power excavators of that class usually designed for forming railwaycuts, ditches, roads, &c., and having an elevator mechanism whereby the dirt is thrown to one side automatically, and the improve -ments have more especial reference to the means whereby the elevator and excavating mechanism is supported and operated by the operating machinery or power of the traction-engine or other motor by which it is propelled.

My invention has for its primary object to provide an improved, simple, and eflicient means whereby the elevator and the excavating mechanism may be readily applied directly to and supported upon the tractionengine which serves the twofold purpose of transporting the excavating mechanism, as well as operating the elevator, &c.

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby the excavator may be run in either direction while in operation, thereby adapting the device for working backward after entering a narrow pass or out not wide enough to turn in.

WVith these ends in view my invention consists in the features of novelty hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a traction-engine equipped with my improved excavator. Fig. 1 is a modified form of plow. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the engine, &c. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the plow and cutter, showing their relation to the elevator. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section of the cutter-bar, showing the means for cushioning the same. Fig. 5 is a plan section thereof on line 5 5, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an enlargedrear elevation of the upper end of the elevator and its operating Windlass. Fig. 7 is a detail vertical section of a part of the elevator-operating mechanism. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the gearing at the lower end of the elevator, and

' Fig. 9 is a detail side elevation of the raising and lowering lever.

1 is the small part of the boiler of an ordinary traction-engine and upon which small part my improved excavator and its operating mechanism are mounted, so that the entire excavator will be carried as a part of the traction-engine and may be manufactured as a whole and applied to traction-engines in general use without the aid of skilled machinists. In the furtherance of this end I employ one of more plates orcastings 2 3 4, which are rounded to approximately the contour of the boiler and which may be secured to the sides of the boiler by suitable stud or cap screws 5, so as to render'the support thereof sufficiently firm without injuring the boiler.

The plate 2 carries the plow 6 and cutter 7, which may be of the usual or any suitable construction well understood in this art, and these are respectively secured by any suitable detachable means to the lower ends of two stems 8 9, respectively mounted in guides 10 11. secured to or formed on the plate 2. In order that the mechanism may be as integral as possible, these two stems 8 9 are connected together at their upper ends by a cross-bar 12, so that the plow and cutter will move in unison, and the vertical adjustment of one will result in the adjustment of the other. The stem 8 is continued upwardly and connected to the short arm 13 of the raising and lowering lever, whose other arm 14 extends to a position convenient of access to the operator and is controlled or locked by suitable segment 15 of a well-known or any suitable construction, the connection between the stem 8 and arm 13 being effected by a link 16 or any other suitable means.

17 is the elevator, which has its lower end provided with an operating-shaft 18, arranged under the boiler 1 and mounted in suitable arms or brackets 20 21, projecting inwardly from the lower ends of the stems 8 9, respectively, so that the elevator will be moved up or down in unison with the plow and cutter when the lever 14 is operated. The upper end of the elevator is supported by a flexible connection 22, having one end connected to a Windlass 23, which is mounted on plate 4 and has an operating-crank 24, whereby the inclination of the elevator 17 may be changed at will.

The elevator-shaft 18 is operatively connected in any suitable way with the engine 25, whereby the elevator is kept in motion for casting the dirt to one side as it is loosened and thrown against the lower end thereof by the plow 6; but this connection between the elevator and theengine should comprise means which will not interfere with the raising and lowering of the elevator in unison with the plow 6. In accomplishing this end I employ a shaft composed of two telescoped sections 26 27, the lower one of which has a beveled gear 28, meshing with beveled gear 29 on a short shaft 30, mounted in abracket 31 or carried in any other suitable way on the arm 20, and also having a beveled gear 32, meshing with a beveled gear 33 on shaft 18. The upper section 27 of the telescopic shaft is fixed with relation to the stem 8 and does not move vertically therewith, like the shaft-section 26, but has its upper end provided with a beveled gear 34, meshing with beveled gear 35 on a horizontal shaft 36, which in turn'is' connected by beveled gears 37 38 with the engine-shaft or some shaft operated by the engine, the particular way on which the connection between the shaft-section 27 and the engine is made being entirely immaterial.

The pinion 35 is secured directly to a sliding sleeve 40, which is secured in any suitable way to the shaft 36, so as to revolve in unison therewith, while sliding longitudinally thereon as, for example, by spline 41 (see Fig. 7 )and this sleeve is connected to a shifting-lever 42 by any suitable connections 43' 44, so that when desired the elevator may be thrown out of action. The raising and lowering lever 14 is shown as mounted on plate 3; but doubtless with many forms of construction of traction-engines other parts will be found convenient for the attachment of this lever without supplying a special support therefor.

Should it be desired to run the machine backward, the plow 6 (now shown in Figs. 1. and 3) would be removed, if a singleointed plow be employed, and a left-hande plow, such as shown in Fig. 1 will be substituted, the only diiference being that in the lefthand plow the moldboard is on the left side and the plow has a forwardly-curved shank 45, whereby it may be attached to the stem 8 while holding the moldboard in position to v throw the dirt against the elevator; but any other suitable form of plow which will work in a reversed direction of the plow 6 may be .employed. It is obvious, however, that when the machine runs backward the elevator will descend or run in a downward direction unless some reversing mechanism be employed. It is desirable, therefore, to mount the pinion 37 upon a sliding sleeve 46, which is splined to the shaft 36, like the sleeve 40, and which also carries a beveled pinion 47, adapted to stand away from the pinion 38 when the pinion 37 is in mesh; but when the sleeve 46 is shifted the pinion 47 goes into mesh and the pinion 37 disengages. Hence the direction of rotation of the shaft 36 will be reversed.

or yielding movement in case it should en-c counter an abnormal resistance. Hence the guide 11 is provided with a spring 9', interposed between the stem 9 and the inner side.

of the guide, and the guide 10 may be provided with a similar spring or other suitable cushion 10*, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a ortable excavator the combination of a p ow, an elevator supported in unison therewith, a traction-engine, guides secured directly to the traction-engine, means engaging in said guides for supporting the plow and elevator, means for raising and owering the last said means, and means 0 eratively connecting the elevator with t e operating mechanism of the traction-engine for driving the elevator.

2. In a portable excavator the combination of two upright stems connected together,

a plow secured to one of said stems, an ele-- vator having its lower end also supported by said stems, means for raising and lowering said stems, a traction-engine, means for ad-' justably connecting said stems to the traction-engine, and an operative connection between the elevator and the operating mechanism of the traction-engine for driving the elevator.

3. In a ortable excavator the combination of a plow, an elevator having its lower end supported in unison with the low, means for adjustably supporting the pl hw and elevator upon a traction-engine, means whereby the low and elevator may be raised and lowere with relation to the traction-engine, and means for driving the elevator from the operating mechanism of the traction-engine,

comprising a telescopic shaft, one member of which rises and falls with the plow and elevator;

4. In a portable excavator the combination of a plate adapted to be attached to a traction-engine boi er, a guide carried by said plate, a stem slidable vertically in said guide, a plow carried by said stem, an elevator having its lower end supported on said stem, and means adapted to be supported upon the traction-engine for raising and lowering said stem at will.

5. In a portable excavator the combination of two guides, means for securing said guides to a traction-engine, two stems connected together and movable vertically in said guides, a plow carried by one of said stems, an elevator having its lower end supported by said stems, means for raising and lowering said stems, and means for driving said elevator from the operating mechanism of the traction-engine.

6. In a ortable excavator the combination of a p ow-support, means for attaching said support to a traction-engine, means whereby changeable plows may be attached to said support to run in either direction, an elevator having its lower end secured to said support, and means whereby said elevator may be operatively connected with the operating mechanism of the traction-engine comprising reversing mechanism.

7. In a portable excavator, the combination of a plow, an'elevator supported in unison therewith, guides for attaching the plow and elevator directly to a traction-engine, means whereby the elevator is operatively connected with the engine, and means sup ported upon the engine for raising and lowering the plow and elevator. I

8. In a portable excavator, the combination with a traction-engine, a plow, an elevator supported in unison therewith, means supporting the plow and elevator directly upon the engine with capability of moving vertically, and means on the engine for operating the elevator and raising and lowering 0 the plow and elevator.

LEE V. SPRINGER.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS A. HOPKINS, A. M. UHER. 

